The present invention is directed to sheet folding systems and methods, and more particularly, to systems and methods for folding sheets, such as paper statements, inserts and the like, for subsequent insertion into envelopes.
Financial institutions, long distance telephone companies, and a number of other organizations frequently send paperwork to existing or potential customers. For example, a credit card customer may receive monthly statements, informational inserts, sheets of convenience checks, and the like. In some circumstances, the paperwork accompanies a card, such as a credit card or the like, mounted in or to a card carrier. In order to send the paperwork and/or card to a customer, the information may be sent first to a third party organization for processing and mailing. One such organization is First Data Merchant Services Corporation (FDMS).
Mail processing systems are currently used to mail, for example, a sheet of convenience checks to a customer. Current systems typically will print the checks on an individual sheet of paper, stack large numbers of sheets in a bin, individually retrieve each sheet and then fold the sheet to fit into an envelope. The high volume of mailings, however, makes this an expensive process. The process of printing on individual sheets can be particularly expensive.
The present invention relates to machines and techniques that address at least some of the problems of the current processing equipment.
The present invention provides exemplary sheet folding systems and methods, including systems and methods for printing on a continuous sheet, and removing and folding individual sheets from the continuous sheet. In some embodiments, the folded sheets are subsequently inserted into an envelope.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a sheet folding system includes a separator adapted to separate an individual sheet from the continuous form sheet, a receiver adapted for receiving the individual sheet, a first folder adapted to perform a first fold of the individual sheet, and a second folder adapted to perform a second fold of the individual sheet. In some embodiments, the first and second folders include two different types of folders.
In a particular embodiment, the first folder is a knife folder. In one aspect, the knife folder includes a knife blade coupled to a movement mechanism, such as a pneumatic movement mechanism, and a pair of rollers adapted to at least partially receive the knife blade and the individual sheet therebetween. The knife folder also includes a deflector positioned on a side of the pair of rollers that is generally opposite the knife blade, with the deflector adapted to deflect the individual sheet having the first fold. In this manner, the knife folder may be used to create a first fold in an individual sheet that originated from a continuous form sheet.
In some aspects of the present invention, the first fold is a fold of the individual sheet along a first direction, with the second fold being a fold along a second direction. In one aspect, the first and second directions are generally orthogonal. The second fold may be a wide range of fold types, including but not limited to a half fold, a C-fold and a Z-fold. The second folder includes a buckle plate folder in one aspect.
In one embodiment, a printer adapted for printing alphanumeric characters on the continuous form sheet is coupled to the separator. In another embodiment, the sheet folding system includes an inserter coupled to the second folder, with the inserter adapted to insert the folded individual sheet into an envelope.
In a particular aspect, a system of the present invention includes a sheet transfer mechanism coupled to and between the first and second folders. The sheet transfer mechanism defines a generally right angle alignment between the two folders. In other embodiments, the sheet folding system includes a controller coupled to the first and second folders and/or an edge remover for removing an edge of the individual sheet(s).
In another embodiment, a sheet folding system includes a receiver adapted for receiving a sheet to be folded, and a knife folder coupled to the receiver and adapted to perform a first fold of the sheet. The knife folder includes a knife blade coupled to a pneumatic movement mechanism, and a pair of rollers and a deflector as described above. In one aspect, the sheet folding apparatus further includes a separator for separating an individual sheet to be folded from the continuous form sheet, with the receiver adapted for receiving the individual sheet.
The present invention further includes methods of folding a sheet of paper. One such method includes printing on a continuous form sheet, separating an individual sheet from the continuous form sheet, performing a first fold of the individual sheet with a knife folder, and performing a second fold of the individual sheet with a second folder. The method may include inserting the folded individual sheet into an envelope with an inserter that is coupled to the second folder.